Time of Your Life
by eawriter42192
Summary: [Miracle] We all know the story behind the 1980 Olympic Hockey Team. But what would happen if Herb's niece interns as a physical therapist with the team?
1. Home in Reykjavik

**AnyaO.C.**/ HalleJim/ SaveaMark/ KierstenMac/ ErikaRizzo

Time of Your Life

By Wave-rider42192

Ch. 1- Home in Reykjavik

It had been a long day at the University. Almost everything that could have wrong did. And to top it all off it was about 85 degrees Fahrenheit, abnormally high for a summer day in Iceland. Normally, I could just wear a light sweater and some sort of bottoms, but not this day. No, that day I was wearing the lightest thing I could possibly find so I wouldn't be dying as I walked to my flat. I'm sorry, I'm yet to introduce myself. I am Anika Marek; I am 23 years old; I live in Reykjavik, Iceland; and I attend the University as a health and nutrition major. Anyways, I was sweating like crazy by the time I reached the front door. I put in the key and opened the door. As soon as I did I felt a blast of cold air push against me. It was the most refreshing thing yes, but at the rate we were going with bills and rent, there was no way we could afford this. As I put my bags away, I yelled at my roommate,

"Kiersten! Why is the air conditioning on full blast! You know we can't afford it. We need to save our money or else we'll loose the apartment!"

"Hey, how did you know it was me who left it on? It could have easily been Halle. You always blame stuff on me. Give me a break." Kiersten bellowed back. Kiersten was like the sister I never had. She and I went far back, back to primary school. We bickered all the time, but no matter how bad it was, we always made up in the end. Normally with help from our other roommate, Halle.

"Would you two calm down? It's hot enough out without the two of you heating up the place and making everything tense. Now Anya, it isn't right to blame someone if you don't know for sure if it is their fault. And Kiersten, we really can't afford leaving the air conditioning on all day. That's why I have turned it off every other hour since I got home." Halle stated as she entered the hall. That's Halle for you though. She looks so small and meek on the outside but she stands up for what's right and doesn't let anyone bother her about it. Kiersten and I just looked at one another and very quietly whispered 'Sorry' to the other. When I looked back up at her, we just broke up laughing. We really were pathetic. We nearly blew our heads off yelling at each other, and after Halle came in and disciplined us, we were back to normal again. But when I really think about it now, what really was funny was that two equally stubborn, tall girls could be yelled at by another girl who was at least 3 inches shorter than us and very petite. Whatever, now we just continued right on schedule. We had already fought about something useless and now it was in our daily routine to tell each other about our day. Halle, the peacemaker went first:

"Well, today I went grocery shopping, so we have everything that we need for this week. I also got the mail. Anya, it seems like you have a letter or something out on the foyer table."

I quickly ran over and grabbed the envelope. It had the University's address on the return. '_I wonder what this is for…'_ When I got back, Kier was already in full swing about how she had the best day possible. From overhearing, it sounded like she had gotten a date with Erik Weiler, the cutest guy on campus. I had said hi to him a few times but I didn't really know him. I guess he was okay.

"So, Anya, how was your day?" Halle asked me. Good God that girl was like a psychiatrist.

"It was horrible. First the heat wave, then I couldn't get my car to start so I had to walk. Then, my paper on the American healthcare system was due today, and when I handed it to Professor Brachhenheimer, he said 'Ah, Ms. Marek. Let's hope this paper is much more interesting than the last. I'm afraid I may have drooled a bit on that one. And you came highly recommended as a writer'" I impersonated my sexist professor. Being the only girl in my Health Resources course makes it a little difficult to be taken seriously. I take almost all of my classes with my friend, Rolf Lukemann. He's a really great guy. Always smiling and laughing, and better yet, he takes my dream of becoming a physical therapist or doctor seriously.

"Oh, crap! We've got to get to Icepack. If we're late for our shifts again then we'll have Gustav on our butts!" Halle said, looking at the clock.

"Shit, my uniform isn't clean yet. Anya, do you have an extra shirt I could borrow?" Kier asked desperately.

As we all dashed up to our rooms, I remembered the letter on the coffee table downstairs. '_I'll read it in the car'_ Luckily, we were all changed and in the car 5 minutes later. Kier was driving, I was in the passenger's seat, and Halle was in the back. I opened the seal and began reading. It said:

Dear Ms. Marek,

It has been noticed by Dean Janislav that you have not completed your time as an intern. We have asked you to find a place of interest where you could intern. Now we are telling you that to complete your degree, you need to have at least 6 months training in a professional environment. You have a week to identify your choice and will begin the internship as soon as possible. If you do not comply, you will either have to take one of the internships the University offers or you will not be able to complete your degree.

Thank you for your cooperation,

Bjorn M. Dandrislav

Head of Health Sciences

Reykjavik University

As I read this I started to panic. What if I couldn't find something? I would end up having to get a different major. The people on the board would give me an internship completely irrelevant to my training. Unexpectedly, we reached the bar and raced inside. The first two hours of working had been a blur. I was bussing tables, when our other friends, Savea Michkin and Erika Yasanova, came into the bar. They worked at Icepack also, but had an earlier shift. I said hello to them and continued on working. I was cleaning the tables so determinedly that I could have taken the varnish off. To any average Joe that walked in, I was an overachieving busboy who took pride in their work, nut to those who knew me well, they could tell I was a nervous wreck about something. Erika came over to me.

"Hey Anya, what's wrong."

"Nothing." I lied horribly.

"If there was nothing wrong with you, you wouldn't be trying to suffocate the tables with cleaner and rags, would you?"

"Fine. I got a letter from the Dean at the U. Here, just read it." I handed her the letter.

"Oh, crap, Anya. What are you going to do?" she finally responded.

"I have no clue. That's why I was attacking the table." Erika flashed me one of her genuine smiles. She was a very bubbly person and saw the positive in everything. Her two favorite sayings: When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. And then there's always her signature line: If all else fails, just smile! Even though she had a bubbly surface, Erika was very solid and comforting. She understood everyone's problem and tried to solve them. I guess growing up in different foster homes made Erika very open to change. She wasn't uptight like me. She made everything around her relaxed and calm. Erika broke me from my thoughts when she said:

"Hey, don't you have an uncle in the U.S. who coaches hockey?"

"Yeah…" I said, not following her at all.

"Well, why don't you see if he could use some help or something? Like… ask him if he needs a physical therapist or something."

"Erika, you're a genius!" Why didn't I think of it before? It would be perfect. I hadn't seen my Aunt Patty or Uncle Herb in years. Come to think of it, I don't think I have ever met my little cousin Kelly properly. I saw him when he was about 8 months old. I just had to call my mom and get my aunt's phone number! I gave Erika a huge hug and we bounded up to the bar where Kier was tending and Savea was talking to her and trying to get guys at the same time.

"Well, someone perked up!" Kier said cheerfully.

"Yeah, once again, Erika has the solution to my problems." I said happily.

"What's wrong?" Savvy asked.

"I got a letter from the dean about me interning and if I can't get a position in a week I won't be able to continue." I said casually.

"What jerks." I heard Halle coming up behind me.

"Yeah, well, Erika suggested that I ask my Uncle Herb if he needs any help for his hockey team."

"That's a great idea!" Savvy exclaimed.

"Yeah, except for the part where if he does need your help, you'll be in the States for at least 6 months." Kier said sadly.

"It's only 6 months, Kier. And I might not be going. But this is my dream, and ever since I started college, I have been discriminated against because I'm a girl. I kind of want to see what it's like in the U.S." I said cautiously. The last thing I needed was Kiersten angry with me.

"You have a point." She said finally. I felt better that she agreed with me. I checked the clock briefly. I had 10 minutes left in my shift. I finished up by bringing a table of guys some beers. Halle, Kier, and I clocked out, and headed out. Savvy and Erika followed behind us and followed us home. When we got out at the flat, Kier, being the weirdo that she is, went over and hugged Savvy, saying:

"Look, Mommy! I found a stray." I ran out and joined her, hugging Erica and taunted Halle by saying:

"Yeah, Mommy. I found one too! Can we keep them, please?" I said way too sweetly.

"Ha, ha you guys. Very funny!" Halle said sarcastically.

We walked into the flat to have our weekly gossip center. It turned out that Savvy, being the girly-girl that she was going to run in the Miss Reykjavik pageant. Halle was going to help with the summer solstice fair. Erika found an awesome comedy show, and Kier read a new book that she absolutely hated and told us all not to read it. I just sat there and laughed. God, I was going to miss my girls if I did end up going to the U.S. I decided I wouldn't worry about for the rest of the night. Tomorrow, I would call my mom and get the number.


	2. The Call

**A special thanks to Flowersc781 for being my first reviewer. ICELAND ROX! (smiles deviously)**

**Here's Chaptah 2. Enjoy!**

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Ch. 2-The Call

"Okay, nothing to worry about, just call, talk to Aunt Patti or who ever answers the phone and then just ask how the team's going. You can do this Anika. You can do it!" I muttered to myself as a pep talk before I made the most important phone call of my young life. That morning I had been nervous and jumpy. For example, when I was eating my breakfast, Kier walked up behind me and tapped my shoulder. I jumped about a meter in the air and nearly choked on my banana. When I called my mom earlier she insisted that I call her more often and just chat even though I already do that once a week.

(Flashback)

"Oh, Anya," my mother, Susan, began, "why don't you ever call me anymore? Hall and I have been so anxious to hear from you!"

"Mama, I call once a week! How can that make a huge difference? I have to focus on my studies. It's hard enough without being the only girl in most of my classes!"  
"Well, that shows you how much you know. Why, just two days ago your brother got up the nerve to ask a girl out!" she retaliated, fully knowing I am concerned and very interested in my brother's love life.

"Wait! Hall has a girlfriend?"

"Yeah, I do. Her name's Valkyrie Swannson. She's in my class." I heard my brother pick up the other phone.

"Oh my goodness, my sixteen year old brother has more of a love life than me!"

"Whatever you say, Anya. I wouldn't worry so much. Oh, I got to go. Val and I are going out tonight." He said as a parting.

"Oh, good luck and remember to be nice to her!" I called to him.

"So, Anya, why did you call?" I heard my mom ask me.

"Oh, I need Aunt Patti and Uncle Herb's phone number. Do you have it?"

"Why are you calling them? You've never been interested in our family."

"I know, but I need to intern for six months for school and I was wondering if Uncle Herb's hockey team needed another physical therapist or something." I said guiltily. It was true, I never talked to my family and just calling them to get something seemed wrong.

"Oh, well in that case their number is 245-3887, but you'll have to call the overseas operator."

"Okay, thanks Mama. I'll call you back after I call them, yada?"

"Okay. I love you Anya. Hugs and kisses and say hello to Kiersten and Halle."

"Yes, mama. Bye!"

(End Flashback)

Back to my life-changing phone call, right? Okay, so I dialed the operator and told her the State: Minnesota and Country: United States. Then the phone rang…and rang, and rang, and rang. Finally somebody picked up:

"Hello," I heard the sweet voice of my aunt fill the receiver.

"Hey, Aunt Patti. How are you doing?" I replied lamely.

"Anya Marek, is that you?" she asked surprised.

"Yeah, it's me! I've missed you so much."

"We haven't heard from you in so long! What have you been up to?"

"Well, I'm enrolled in Reykjavik University for Health and Nutrition and I've been living with my best friends in a flat off campus."

"That's wonderful sweetie!" I could tell she was genuinely happy for me. She was like a second mother to me, always worried and concerned for me.

"Yeah, so how are Danny, Kelly, and Uncle Herb?"

"Oh, they're fine, Danny plays hockey now and Kelly's been taking dance lessons. She loves it, too! Always twirling and jumping, that one is. Oh, and guess what Uncle Herb's been offered!"

"Um, I don't have any clue." I said honestly.

"He's been offered the job as the Head Coach of the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team!"

"Oh my goodness! That's terrific!" I said half down-hearted. If my uncle was taking this on, they were going to have professionals. On the other hand, though, I really was excited for him.

"Sweetie, what's wrong? You sound sad." God damn those maternal instincts!

"Oh, I'm okay, it's just… If I tell you will you promise to not get angry at me for being so selfish and self-centered?" I thought that I'd try the truth, sometimes it's the best thing you got.

"Sure sweetheart. What's wrong?"

"Well, I was kind of hoping that Uncle Herb could use a physical therapist or nutritionist for his team, because, well, I kind of need to do about 6 months of interning if I'm going to graduate. And now that he's coaching the Olympic team, he'll probably want professionals and not me. And normally I'd be fine with that and I understand his position, it's just that I'm running out of time." I said in one huge breath.

"Oh, sweetheart, I understand completely! And I'm sure that your uncle will too. It is his decision of who his staff is. I'll see what I can do."

"Oh, thank you so much Aunt Patty. But… I mean… you're not upset with me for not calling more often and only calling when I need help?" I asked, still unsure about the whole situation.

"Anya, I do like hearing from you, but I understand that you're busy with school and boys and such."

"I still feel really poorly about this. How about this, if I promise to call more often, will you see what you can do about the internship?"

"Sure Anya. I'll give you a call a little later, okay? Wait, what is your number?"

"Oh, you just call the overseas operator, tell them you want to make a call to Reykjavik, Iceland and then they will tell you to dial in my number: 909-2602. All set?"

"Yep, I'll call you later. Love you sweetie." she said.

"I love you, too. Bye." I added. Now all I had to do was keep my self preoccupied for the next few hours. And I had the perfect solution: Go visit Rolf!


	3. A Chat with Wolfie and Good News

Here's Chappie 3. I completley forgot the disclaimer, so here it is: I OWN THE DVD OF MIRACLE AND A YAHOO ACCOUNT. THAT'S ABOUT IT. WAIT, I FORGOT ABOUT MY OC'S. Well, that's it.

Enjoy the Chapter!

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Ch. 3- A Chat with 'Wolfie' and Good News

As I drove over to Wolfie's (Rolf) house, I thought of all the goods times we had had. I also thought about the last time I had seen him.

_Flashback:_

_Anya is standing in the hallway outside the Reykjavik Wolfpack locker room. A tall, handsome blonde player comes out and runs up to Anya. He picks her up and spins her around shouting "WE WON!"_

_When he puts Anya back down, they look at each other for a long time and finally kiss. When they pull away, Anya shakes her head and says, "I didn't feel anything. Did you?" Rolf shook his head. Anya shrugs and says goodbye awkwardly._

_End Flashback_

We had talked many times since the kiss and decided that it was good to get it over with, so that we knew it wasn't worth the hassle of thinking we actually liked each other in a more than platonic way. We were just good friends, like we had been practically since diapers Anyways, we had both moved on. Well, at least Rolf did. He was currently dating Ursula Zachriatch. And although I didn't have a boyfriend, I was still over it. As I pulled into the parking lot of the campus dorms, I noticed that Ursula's car was here. When I rang the doorbell to his dorm, I heard the soft shuffle of feet on carpet. Rolf opened the door revealing himself with his hair all disheveled. We greeted each other and he invited me inside. Once in the apartment, I saw a very, very disheveled Ursula sitting on the couch with mismatched shirt buttons. I realized that I must have interrupted them making out or something and I felt a slight blush creep up on my cheeks. Hastily I said:

"Oh, well, I guess I interrupted something. I'll just come back tomorrow."

Wolfie stopped me, "No, its okay. So, what's new with you, Anya?"

"I just came by to say hi and tell you that I might be going to the U.S. for a few months to visit my family and complete my internship."

"Wow, that's awesome, Anya!" I heard Ursula offer.

"Yeah, well that's all I came to say so I guess I'll get going. Bye" and I exited quickly. It wasn't long before I heard Rolf behind me calling:

"Anya! Wait up. Hold on." When he reached me he said, "So you're going to the States?"

"Not definitely, but it's a possibility." I replied.

"Well, if you do go…um…I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too, Wolfie. Now go back to whatever you were doing in there. I'm sure Ursula's getting lonely." I said sweetly.

"Okay, but call me when you get the news."

"I will. Now get in there lover-boy! Go!" He just smiled and jogged to his room. When I got back in my car, I turned on the radio and heard a new song from the American band _Aerosmith_ called "Dream On". I instantly fell in love with the song. When I got back to the flat, Kier, Halle, Savvy, and Erika were in the kitchen making some kind of food. When I cleared my throat behind them, they all jumped really quickly. We kind of just stared at each other until Erika finally asked:

"So, how did it go?"

"Alright, my aunt couldn't promise me anything, but she said she'd call back later on."

"Did it sound good, though? Savvy added.

"There's a chance it'll work out. But I really don't know." I said stiffly, willing myself not to get too excited about it. All of a sudden, Kier called out, "GROUP HUG!" and I was attacked by my four friends. We just stayed like that until the egg timer went off. Halle went over to the oven to check on whatever they were making.

"Hey, what are you making?" I asked.

"Oh, just some brownies. We felt like it was a good time for some chocolaty goodness." Halle said simply.

"Are they done yet?" Erika whined nearly causing me to crack up.

"Only a few more minutes. Now go pour us all some ice cold milk." Halle instructed Erika and I. Savvy and Kiersten went to get some plates while Halle stayed near the oven. When the brownies were finally ready (much to the delight of Erika) we each grabbed a glass of milk and a brownie and cheered each other. Just as I went to take a bite of my brownie, the phone started to ring. I gulped nervously as Savvy edged me towards the phone. I put down my brownie and glass and answered on the third ring.

"Hello?" I asked nervously.

"Hey, sweetie, it's Aunt Patti."

"Oh, hi Aunt Patti." I said loud enough for the girls in the room over to hear.

"Well, I talked to Uncle Herb about you interning."

"Uh-huh." I mumbled.

"It took a long time for him to make up his mind…"

"Really, well…" I said, anticipating the worst.

"He said yes!"

"…"

"Anya, you still there?" I snapped out of it. Oh my god. I'm going to intern as a physical therapist/nutritionist for the U.S. Olympic Hockey team!

"Oh, yeah, I'm here. Wow,"

"I know, I know, this is so exciting!"

"Yeah!"

"Okay, well, you'll have to get a flight out here in the next week if you really want the job. Herb wants you to start as soon as possible."

"Alright, sure! Um, can I talk to him?"

"I'm sorry sweetie; he went back to the office. They just got the team two days ago so everything's a mess."

"Oh, that's alright. I understand."

"Okay, so why don't you see when you can get a flight out here and give me a call sometime tomorrow."

"Sure thing, Aunt Patti. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Bye, muffin."

"Bye-bye." I walked back into the living room with the best look of disappointment I could muster.

"Well, what did he say?" asked Halle.

"YES!" I screamed and did my little happy dance.

"OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD!" I heard Erika screech.

"You're in, you're in!" I heard Savvy say.

"Have fun without us…" I hear Kier say as she walked out the door.

"Kiers, where are you going?" I asked.

"To my room, is that alright with you, mother?" she replied sarcastically.

"Just ignore her, Anya. She's just upset it's not her." said Savvy.

"Yeah, sure…"I said. The rest of the night, I was focused on how I could make it up to Kiers. I felt bad because she was like my sister. As much as I felt bad, I wasn't about to give up my dreams.


	4. Goodbyes and Hellos

**Thanks to those who have been reading this. It makes me feel all special inside (just kidding). **

**And thanks to Flowersc781 for all your support. Enjoy!**

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Ch. 4- Goodbyes and Hellos

I woke up that Saturday morning with a major headache. I couldn't fall asleep the night before because of the issue with Kiersten. If there is something that upsets me, I cannot sleep at night unless I resolve it. Anyways, I got up and went directly to the travel agency down the street. I booked my flight for the following Wednesday at 5:00 P.M. I would arrive in Boston, Massachusetts at 10:00 A.M. Boston time. I would have a 3 hour lay-over, and then get on a flight to St. Paul, Minnesota. While I was there, I was able to contact a government official and alert them of my stay. They contacted the people in St. Paul and I had a 12 month visa. I went home and called Aunt Patty and my mom. My mother was so excited I had to yell at her to calm down. She said that she and my brother were going to come over on Sunday to wish me goodbye in person. I called Aunt Patty and she said someone would come and pick me up from the airport. To top of the chaos, the girls took me out clubbing while Kier refused to come and stayed locked in her room. I could tell she was still miffed at me for going away. Oh, well, what more could I do.

_Wednesday, 3:00 P.M.-Iceland International Airway_

"Okay, I'm going to check in and I'll meet you guys at the coffee shop over there." I said as I pointed to a small café.

"Sure, we'll be there. Just don't get lost! It's so crowded in here!" Savvy said jokingly. I walked over to a desk.

"Um, excuse me," I caught the attention of the blonde attendant, "my name is Anika Marek and I'm on flight 234 to Boston, Mass."

"Ah, yes, Ms. Marek. Are you here to check in?"

"Yes, I am." I stated.

"Alright, you're flight leaves in an hour and a half; just make sure you have your security stamp before you board the plane. It makes life much easier." She said cheerfully.

"Thanks." I wheeled my suitcases over to the café table that the girls were sitting at.

"You all set?" Halle asked.

"Yes, just have to get my security stamp and I'm airborne."

"Oh joy!" Kier replied sarcastically.

Savea elbowed her in the ribs, "Be nice! I'm sure you'd want her to be nice if you were leaving for eight months!"

"Well, I'm not. I don't just abandon my friends like that."

"Kiersten, you are being completely unfair to Anya! If she wants to graduate with her degree, she has to do this internship." Erika came to my defense.

"Whatever…" Kiersten said as she got up and went to the bathroom.

"She'll come around." Halle said comfortingly.

"Yeah, I just hope it's in the next hour." I said. Just then, I had an idea. If Kiersten wasn't going to talk to me, I wasn't going to make her. I decided to write her a note. It read:

**Dear Kiersten,**

**I know you're really angry with me about this decision. I hope you know that I'm sorry that you can't come with me, but it's really not fair of you to treat me like this. I assume that if you're reading this, you still haven't talked to me. I just want you to know that I love you very much and I'll miss you terribly. If you ever find it in yourself to forgive me, I'd love to hear from you. I'll miss you, sis.**

**XOXOXOXOXO,**

**Anya**

I was running out of time and had to get my security stamp. I ran to the check and was cleared quickly. I had 10 minutes to board the plane when we decided to say our goodbyes.

"I'm going to miss you so much, Anya. Just stay out of trouble and don't forget to send me pictures of the cute players, right?" Savea said hugging me, attempting to lighten the mood with a joke. When we pulled away, I could see small tears welling up in her eyes. Savvy rarely ever cried and tried desperately to hide the evidence. Next was Halle.

"Come here you," she grabbed me into a hug, crying quietly, "you promise to write us ever week?"

"Yes, Halle. I'm going to miss your home-cooking so much. No one can bake my favorite brownies quite like you." I said, fully crying at this point.

"What about me?" Erika whined jokingly.

"Oh, Erika! I'm going to miss you so much. You'll always be my little lost puppy. Keep your chin up kid." I added when I saw the fat tears streaming down her face.

"I should be saying that to you! I'm sorry about the waterworks, it's just...I feel like I'm losing a big part of my life. You're my buddy! I'll miss you."

"I'm going to miss you all, too!" I said.

"Hey, what about me?" I heard a familiar voice ask. I turned around to see Wolfie waiting expectantly.

"Rolf, what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be working?"

"I asked for an hour off. Come hear, you." He said, enveloping me in a bear hug.

"I'll miss you" I said quietly.

"Me too." He said as he released me and stood back.

"Flight 234: Reykjavik to Boston, now boarding." I heard the intercom ring out.

"Looks like I'd better get going." I said solemnly. I turned to Kiersten and handed her my note. She looked at it then me for a long time. When I turned to leave, she attacked me with the biggest hug I'd ever gotten in my life.

"I'm sorry!" was all I could make out from her sobs.

"It's okay, Kier. You were angry. It's understandable." I said trying to soothe her sobs.

"I'm going to miss you. So much." She whispered.

"I'll miss you too, Kiers, but I've go to go. I'll call you when I get to St. Paul, okay?"

She simply nodded a response. We all looked at each other until the intercom said:

"Flight 234: Reykjavik to Boston, last call."

"You'd better get going." said Halle.

"Yeah, girlfriend; go have the time of your life!" Erika called out excitedly.

"Yeah, well, guess its good-bye, huh?" They all nodded and I turned to walk towards the terminal. I glanced back over my shoulder briefly and smiled. I knew all my friends had my back on this.

_Wednesday, 10:00 A.M.-Logan International Airport-Boston_

I had made it to Boston! They flight was pretty uneventful and quick. Although I had to sit next to an old man who snored constantly, (even when he was awake) the flight was fairly quiet. Well, I had 3 hours to kill, so guess what I did! First, to document my quick stay in Boston, I bought an enormous blue sweatshirt with 'BOSTON' written across the front. Then, I found a comfy spot in the lounge and fell asleep. I woke up with just enough time to get on the plane. Once on board, I fell asleep again. The next time I woke up, I would be in St. Paul, MN.

(3rd person POV-Minnesota)

_Wednesday, 10:00 A.M.-St. Paul, MN_

Patti Brooks was so excited. Her 23 year old niece that she hadn't seen for almost 5 years was coming to stay for a few months. Granted, she had to work for Patty's husband, Herb's, hockey team, but at least she would be staying in St. Paul. Patti glanced at the clock. It was 10:05 A.M. She had dropped her two kids, Danny and Kelly, off at their summer programs, Danny to hockey camp, and Kelly to ballet. Patti remembered that she wouldn't be able to pick her niece up, and if she forgot, that chances that Herb remembered were slim to none. She picked up the phone and dialed in his office number.

"Herb Brooks, U.S. Olympic Ice Hockey." Herb said mechanically.

"Hey, sweetheart, how's work going today?" Patti asked.

"Oh, Patti, it's you. We're doing all right. The boys are on lunch break right now, so I thought I'd get some work done"

"Well, Herb, Anya is flying in today."

"Oh, good! The sooner she starts, the better it will be."

"Herb," Patti said, annoyed with her husband's focus on hockey, "I can't pick her up because I have to get the kids."

"Well, Patti, I can't get her. I have meetings all after practice."

"Herb, first of all, when I asked you two days ago if you would pick her up, you said there was no problem. Secondly, she's coming in at 12:00."

"Oh… are you sure there's no other way for you to get her?"

"Yes, Herb. I'm sure."

"Alright, I'll just send Craig or Doc to pick her up."

"Okay, she's on flight 861 from Boston. In terminal 14, you got that?"

"Yep, I'll see you tonight Patti. I love you."

"I love you too. Bye."

Herb sighed. This was going to be interesting. His 23 year old niece was going to be interning as a physical therapist and nutritionist for a hockey team. She would have her hands full, especially if she was as pretty as he remembered. Being around 26 college guys all the time might not be very fun. He looked at the clock on the wall. 10:34. Briskly, Herb got out of his chair and headed towards the mess hall.

"Craig! Come here a sec."

"Sure, Herb. What's up?" asked assistant coach Craig Patrick.

"Remember my niece I was telling you about, the intern?"

"Right…so what's going on?"

"Well, she's flying in right now and will be at the airport in an hour or two."

"Oh good! The sooner she meets the team the better off we'll all be." Craig said happily.

"Yep, except I can't go get her and neither can Patti. I was wondering if you'd be able to pick her up."

"Sure, anything for the team. Just tell me where to go and I'll get her."

"Great. She'll be on flight 861 from Boston at terminal 14."

"Flight 861, terminal 14. I got it." Craig said, trying to remember.

"You might want to get a sign. Her name's Anika Marek."

"Anika Marek, got it! I should get going, she'll be here soon."

"Thanks Craig. We appreciate it." Herb said, unsure of how to thank him.

"No problem. She's part of the team now and it's my responsibility to help out the team."

"Just bring her by my office before we introduce her to the boys."

"Sure." Craig said as he walked out the door.

Craig got into his car and drove to the airport. As he pulled into the parking lot, he wondered how the guys would react to Anika and how Anika would react to being stuck with 20 something boys for 8 months. They had just gotten the team and were having their first practice that day. Maybe Anika could be the bridge over the gap between the Boston and Minnesota players. He walked through the main doors and asked an employee to direct him to terminal 14. He arrived 10 minutes early, so he found a piece of paper and a pen and made a sign. When the passengers were released from the plane, Craig stood patiently near the sitting area, holding up the sign.

(First Person POV-Anika)

"Attention passengers," the intercom woke me up sharply, "we will be landing in approximately 5 minutes. If you would please put your tray tables in an upright position and buckle your seat belts, we will begin our descent soon." Being very fluent in English, I thankfully understood everything they were saying. Soon enough, we were heading down towards the runway. We landed safely (thank god) yet we were not out for another ten minutes. I took out my carry-on suitcase with my books and such and got in line to get out. I was very nervous about seeing my uncle again. The last time I saw him, he was angry because he thought I liked one of his players even though I didn't. I don't even remember his name, but I think he was a freshman. Anyways, I didn't leave in good terms with Uncle Herb. I hoped that almost five years would make him forget about it, but you never knew with Uncle Herb. I walked through the threshold and into the airport. I looked around trying to spot my uncle. I couldn't find him, but then something caught my eye. There was a man in a sweat-suit holding a sign that said _Anika MAREK. _i slowly walked up to him, very shy all of a sudden. He must have noticed me and asked:

"Are you Anika Marek?" He seemed very unsure of himself. Yet, understandably so, I mean I wouldn't have liked to have to walk around an airport trying to find someone.

"Yes, I am." I answered timidly. I thought back to what my mom said about making a good first impression and put on a confident face. I could tell he was surprised when I asked him:

"And who might you be?"

"Oh, sorry, I'm Craig Patrick, your uncle's assistant coach. He asked me to come pick you up." He said apologetically.

"That sounds like my uncle, alright" we laughed briefly at my comment. My uncle could get so busy that he forgets completely about something until my aunt reminds him last minute.

"So, what's he so busy with today?" Craig chuckled lightly at this.

"He's at practice right now, and after he has meetings with the board." Craig said. "So you're interning with us. What for?" Typical of my uncle not to let others in on details about something or someone.

"I'm majoring in health and nutrition, and I needed to get an internship. What better than an Olympic Hockey team?" I joked. I could tell already that Craig and I were going to get along well and that I would have at least one friend.


	5. The Past and a Barrel of Monkeys

**Super sorry I haven't updated in months but I had lots of school stuff and I had to fix this one thing in the chapter for it to make sense, yet it still might not. Sorry again.**

R&R!

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Ch. 5- The Past and a Barrel of Monkeys 

Craig and I continued are conversation as we walked over to the baggage claim.

"So what will you be doing?" he asked, obviously interested.

"I'm not 100 sure, but I think I'm supposed to make up exercise and eating plans for the boys. My specialty is specifying nutrients in foods and matching them up with other foods to make the ultimate beneficial meal." I said, a little proud of myself.

"Wow, that's something. You and Doc will get along fine. He's the team doctor, really nice. He was from Latvia until he moved here. So where are you from?" he asked curiously.

"Reykjavik, Iceland."

"You came here all the way from ICELAND!"

"Yeah." I said picking up my bags.

"Did you leave today?" He asked, still astounded that I was from Iceland.

"Yes, I left at 5:00 P.M., got to Boston at 12:00 eastern-time, and got here."

"You must be exhausted," he said sympathetically, "when we get to the rink, you can crash on the couch in the lobby. I'll make sure no one disturbs you." He offered kindly.

"Thanks for the offer, but I can't do that. A) Because I am naturally hyper and nervous in new situations, making it impossible to sleep. And B) I loaded up on caffeine back in Boston. I found a really good coffee shop, Back Bay Beanery, or something like that.

"Alright, Herb told me to bring you to his office when we get there anyways. Let's go to the car."

We chatted all the way there. Once on the road, Craig brought up an interesting conversation.

"So Anika," I cut him off.

"Anya, just call me Anya."

"Okay, Anya, so are you a native of Iceland or something else?" he finished lamely.

"I was born in a town called _Keflavik._ It's about 50 km from Reykjavik. My mom, Patty's sister, and my brother Halden still live there." I said, just mentioning them made me feel homesick.

"Where's your dad?" He asked. By the look on my face he could tell it was a sore subject.  
"I'm sorry if I brought up a bad subject. Really, I'm sorry. I was just curious is all." He said quickly and apologetically.

"Don't be sorry, you didn't know. My dad died when I was sixteen. That's why I was here the last time. My mom was so lost, so we went and stayed with Aunt Patty and Uncle Herb."

"I'm so sorry…" he mumbled shamefully.

"It's okay." I said to convince him and myself. As I continued, I felt hot tears threaten to fall.

"It's just that we were really close. He was the one who taught me how to skate. He loved any sport involving skating with such enthusiasm that my mom called it his first love." I laughed at the memory.

"Because of him, I decided to be a figure skater. I was really good, too. He was on his way to see my qualifying round for the '74 Olympic team. He was really busy with work but I begged and _begged_ for him to come and watch." As I explained what happened, my mind was reliving each thing as I talked about them. "He was driving to the arena to see the competition when a drunk driver crashed into him, head-on." The tears were falling freely now. "I remember how my mother's face looked when they told her. At the time, I was down on the ice looking up into the stands. I had just finished my performance and was looking at my mom and my brother, expecting to see my dad with them. All I saw was a police officer and my mom crying and yelling at the officer. I was so worried that my family was in trouble with something or someone had done something illegal. I had gotten enough points to be on the team. When I went to tell my mom, she was standing in front of me and I could just tell something was wrong, it was one of those faces. Well anyways, my mom told me that my dad had been killed by a drunk driver on his way here. I didn't accept the position and I refused to eat for days. My brother finally convinced me that I wasn't the reason my dad was dead and I shouldn't blame myself. So instead, I blamed skating. I haven't skated since the competition." I finished my story and wiped me eyes. Craig didn't say anything for a few minutes and finally said:

"Wow. Herb never said anything about that. Actually, he didn't tell us anything about you. I'm really sorry that happened to you."

"It's okay. I've gotten over it. I've moved on." I said, trying to stop the conversation as quick as possible. Thankfully, Craig got the point.

"So, are you going to miss being in Iceland?" he asked casually.

"Not as much as I'll miss my family and friends. In fact, I'll probably miss my friends the most." I said guiltily.

"You'll miss them more, why?" he seemed very confused about what I said.

"Well, I live with two of my friends, Kiersten and Halle, and my other friends, Savea and Erika, live down the street."

"They really good friends?"

"…More like family to me. Halle acts like me surrogate mother and Kiersten is my annoying sister, we fight all the time! Erika is my best friend in the world. She is… such a people person and can make any situation funny. Savea is a drama queen, but she's gorgeous!"

"They sound like awesome friends!"

"They are, they really are." I said agreeing with him.

"Do you want to listen to some music?"

"Sure." We sat in silence the rest of the way. When we pulled up to the arena, Craig said:

"Well, we're here." He got out of the car and around the side to get my bags. I opened the door and looked at the arena. It was pretty big and a sign outside said that it was closed due to U.S.A. Olympic Ice Hockey Team Practice. I went to Craig and took my wheeling bag. As we entered the arena, I could here the sound of hockey pucks, sticks, and yelling. _That's my Uncle Herb._

Craig broke my thoughts (which I was laughing to myself about). "You want to take a peek?"

I nodded my head as we headed down the hall to my uncle's office. We dropped my bags in there and we went up to the stands. When I looked out onto the ice I saw about 14 guys on ice and quite a few more on the benches. The ones on the ice were trying to pull off one of my uncle's wacky plays. They did their best, and I could tell they were excellent skaters. I watched the goalie to my left. There was something on his mask that I couldn't make out. I squinted and was surprised to see a shamrock sticker on either side of his eyes. I was confused for a moment, until it hit me: He was Irish! _Wow, I must be more tired than I thought._ I turned to Craig.

"Craig, I am feeling kind of tired. Is it alright if I go back to my uncle's office and take a quick nap?"

"Sure, I have to get back to practice, but I'll let him know you're here."

"Okay, thanks." I started down the bleachers. I was almost to the bottom when Craig said:

"If you wake up and Herb isn't back yet, come out and watch for awhile."

"Okay. Will do." I walked away and yawned deeply. I continued down the corridor and to the office. I spotted a small couch and lied down. I was out as soon as my eyes closed. When, I woke up, it was about 2:00. _So much for catching up on my sleep._ I looked around the room for my uncle as I got up. _He must still be at practice. _I was shivering from the change of temperature as I stretched. I reached into my little bag and pulled out my light blue 'BOSTON' sweatshirt I bought at Logan Airport. _It was freezing in there and people were walking around in tank tops! I since Boston have hotter summers they like to turn their people into freezpops! _I got the sweatshirt in a large so I could give it to Hall. Once it was on, I warmed up quickly and headed out the door. I looked down at myself and realized that the sweatshirt dwarfed me. _Oh well, at least I'm warm. _When I got to the bleachers I saw a forward dodge all the defense and scored. My uncle had said something but I was more focused on the guy's skating. He was strong yet graceful and easily one of the best forwards I had ever seen. I got to my seat just as I heard my uncle yelling:

"Johnson, that coast-to-coast may work here, but it won't against the teams we'll be playing." The player must have mumbled something to Herb and he called out:

"Next line up!" I watched as a new group of skaters took the ice. What caught my eye was one player stop another from going and took his place. _Wonder what he's up to. _

"This is a breakout play, gentlemen. So let's get rid of the puck early." My uncle said in his booming voice as he shot the puck to no one. The play was going well when I heard a sickening _WHACK! _I looked towards where the sound came from. There on the ice was a player hunched over and near him, another standing near him. It was apparent that he had checked the injured player, but what angered me was that the puck was down the rink. _It was a cheap shot! Uncle Herb will not be happy about this. _I heard the boys call out different things, some encouraging the bully and others berating him. Suddenly, the player on the ice got up and charged at the other. When they started fighting I rose to my feet and watched my uncle stop Craig from interfering. _What is he DOING? This is completely uncalled for! _The other boys finally pulled the fighters back.

"Well, how about it boys? Look like hockey to you?" my uncle called out in his demanding voice, "Looks ore like a couple of monkeys trying to hump a football, I dunno. How about you Craig?" Craig looked just as confused as I did about what could possibly be my insane uncle's attempt to make a joke.

"Yeah." He answered, unsure of what he was supposed to say.

"You wanna settle old scores you're on the wrong team! We move forward starting right now! We start becoming a team RIGHT NOW!" Herb yelled and slammed his stick off the ice. "Skating, passing, flow and creativity; that is what this team is all about gentlemen. Not old rivalries. So why don't we start with some introductions? You know, get to know one another a little bit. Who you are, where you're from, you know. Go ahead!" Herb nodded at the player with a very bloody nose.

"Rob McClanahan, St. Paul Minnesota." he said.

"Who do you play for?" Uncle Herb asked him.

"For you here at the U." Rob said. My uncle nodded.

"Jack?" Herb prompted.

"Jack O'Callahan, Charlestown Mass. Boston University." 'Mr. Tough-guy' said.

"Over Here." Herb pointed to a bystander with a mustache.

"I'm Ralph Cox. I'm from wherever is not going to get me hit." Cox said with a smile. I couldn't help but laugh at this. I knew that hockey players from Boston and Minnesota didn't get along very well. All of the players laughed at this, and even my stony-faced uncle looked amused. My uncle let them laugh and started practice back up. I saw a short man with a bow tie help 'Robbie McClanahan' off the ice and into a different room. I assumed that this was the Doc that Craig mentioned. After a few minutes of watching the practice, I saw Craig looking at me. I waved to him and he waved back. After another 45 minutes, Uncle Herb ended practice. Before he let the boys of the ice, he called them over and told them something I couldn't hear. Once he let them off, I walked back to my uncle's office. I sat and waited for him, thinking about what happened during practice. _So, 'Mr. Tough-guy's name is Jack O'Callahan. Well, Mr. O'Callahan, if you keep beating up my team, we're going to have a little issue. _Just then, the door opened up and Uncle Herb came in.

"Anya, hi. Welcome to Minnesota…again." He moved to shake my hand.

"It's great to see you again, Uncle Herb!" I dismissed the handshake and gave him a bear hug. He returned it with just as much strength.

"So, how was your flight?"

"Oh, it was okay. I napped all the way here. Craig is really nice. We got along great." I said enthusiastically.

"Were you in here this whole time?"

"No, I took a quick rest, and then watched the rest of practice. I saw the incident between Boston and Minnesota." I said jokingly

"Yep, we had a small problem, but I think it will be alright from now on…So, you want to meet the team? I told them to wait in lobby so I could introduce you."

"Okay, sure, let me just brush my hair quickly." I said not wanting to make a bad first impression.

"Yep, the bathroom is just down the hall. And do you think it would be possible for you to hang out with the guys for an hour or two while I'm in meetings?"

"As long as it's okay with them, I'm all for it!"

"Great, just knock on the door when you're ready to go." I opened the door and walked down the hall until I found the ladies' room. I walked in and started in on my hair. I decided to put it up in a half pony-tail with my bangs hanging in front of one of my eyes. I held it back with a clip and practiced my introductions.

"Hi, I'm Anika Marek, but you can call me Anya… I'm Anya, it's nice to meet you…Hello, I'm Anya Marek and I'll be your personal trainer and nutritionist. Yes, I like that." I turned back to the door, walked to my uncle's door and knocked. A few seconds later, he came out, straightening his tie. He nodded and smiled a bit and we headed down the hallway, until we could hear a bunch of voices in the next room. Uncle Herb motioned for me to stay still while he addressed the team. He turned the corner and the boys shut up quickly.

"Alright boys, thanks for waiting."

"Coach, we've got no where to go." Someone said and everyone laughed.

"_Ha, ha,_ very funny Rizzo, just like your slap shot!" I cracked up laughing but noticed that no one was laughing. They just stood there in shock. _What the heck is wrong with these people…?_ (AN: He has to have some personality…somewhere down there!)

"Anyways," I heard my 'funny' uncle continue, "I'd like to introduce to you, your personal trainer, nutritionist, and most importantly, my niece…for those of you who don't understand that it means she's off limits… my niece from Iceland, Anika Marek." I walked around the corner and stood next to my uncle. The room was oddly silent for a moment. Then, a curly, dark-haired guy with a crooked nose came up to me and offered his hand. I took it and he said with a warm smile:

"Hi, I'm Mike Eruzione, but you can call me Rizzo."

"It's nice to meet you, you can call me Anya."

"It was nice to meet you too, Anya." Rizzo went back to his seat and shoved the guy next to him out of his chair and up towards me. A guy with a great smile and black hair came up to me and followed Rizzo's example. I looked closer at him and recognized his face, and height, from a long time ago.

"Buzz Schneider."

"Nice too meet you" I said, smiling back. So it was the famous Buzzy Schneider. Guess he didn't remember me. Once he sat down, a tall, reddish-haired man with a mustache came up and said:

"Ralph Cox, or Coxie." sticking out his hand.

"From wherever's not going to get you hit?" I asked him jokingly, taking his hand. He blushed and nodded, then returned to his seat. Next up was a very, very tall guy with dirty-blonde hair.

"John Harrington, but everyone calls me 'Bah'." He offered his hand.

I took it and inquired, "Why Bah?"

"Long story." He said, and a couple of guys chuckled. As our introductions continued, I met Ken Morrow, Les Auge, Neal Broten, Dave Delich, Jack Hughes, Mark Wells, Bob Suter, Mark Pavelich, Phil Verchota, Eric Strobel, Mike Ramsey, Ross (I didn't remember his first name), Billy Baker, Horsch (didn't remember his first name either), Dave Christian, Steve Christoff, and Steve Janazak (_a goalie, I think)._ Finally, there were just a few players left. A fairly tall guy with raven black hair and ice blue eyes walked up to me.

"Jimmy Craig." He stuck his hand out. "It's nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too, Jimmy." I said sweetly. As he walked away, a short, blonde came up to me, who also had blue eyes.

"My name's Mark, Mark Johnson." My eyes widened as I recalled he was the really good player.

"Oh, so you're 'Coast to Coast Johnson'. Well, it's very nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you also, Anya." He blushed, knowing I saw him get in trouble. He turned and I was approached by a handsome guy with cute brown hair.

"Dave Silk…and if you really wanted to you could call me Silky. That's my nickname."

"Um, okay…well, it's nice to meet you." I said, slightly confused and embarrassed. He turned around and a tall, dark-haired, handsome guy came up to me and went to shake my hand.

"Hi, I'm Rob Mc…" I cut him off.

"Let me guess, Rob McClanahan, right? I saw you and Jack try to rip each other's heads off. Normally, I don't befriend fighters," he looked ashamed and embarrassed, "but I'll make an exception if you promise never to do that again in my presence."

"I'm sorry, I promise I'll never fight in front of you again." He said dejectedly.

"Well, then. I'm Anya, and it's nice to meet you Robbie." I said very sure of my self. I had made feel uncomfortable, and I liked when I did that because normally I was uncomfortable around guys. I was finally at the last person. _I wonder who this could be,_ I thought knowing fully who was the last person was. A kind of tall guy with wavy blonde hair and slate grey eyes walked up. Overall, he was definitely one of the hottest on the team and had a bad boy disposition about him, which he lived up to already. He stuck his hand out and I folded my arms.

"So you must be the infamous Jack O'Callahan, huh?" I asked sweetly.

"Yeah, what's it to you?" he shot back.

"Absolutely nothing. Is it supposed to mean anything to me?" I heard the choruses of 'yeah Anya' and 'that's a good question O.C.' I had him baffled. I put on my 'angel' act while meeting the others and changed back in time to be the pain in the ass that I naturally am.

"Harsh, but that's alright. I've dealt with worse," he said as he tried to appear tough and unbothered by my forwardness. I smiled to myself, _already got him eating out of the palm of my hand. _

"Oh really, I would've thought any girl you've ever met would pity you. My mistake," the guys laughed again as Jack's face hardened into a scowl.

"What's that supposed to mean, cupcake? Think you're tougher than me? That's almost laughable!" That asshole actually was dumb enough to

"Fine, bring it on! You, me, wall sit." I walked past him to the wall. I looked back at him asking 'Something wrong?' with my eyes. He walked over and stood next to me. The other boys gathered around. Craig got a stopwatch and the boys started their bets while Jack and I stared each other down.

"I'm putting 10 bucks on O.C." I heard Dave Silk say.

"Well I'll balance you off with 10 bucks on Anya." Mac bet.

"One beer on Anya! Any takers?" Bah shouted.

"Yeah, but I'll put 3 on O.C." Phil Verchota yelled back. Jack looked at me smugly at mention of this. Craig interrupted them and closed the betting. Jack and I got into our positions and Craig set the timer at zero. Then, right as we were about to start, Mike Ramsey said:

"Wait a second; she's got to be at least 20 pounds lighter than him. That's unfair."

"Fine, Anya don't get angry at me for asking this, but how much do you weigh?" Craig asked politely.

"I weigh 125 lbs."

"Jack?" Craig asked.

"160." He responded.

"I'll go get the discs." Mac said. He came back with three discs, each weighing 15 lbs., equaling 45 pounds. He handed me the discs and I adjust my weight.

"Alright, everyone ready?" Craig asked. Jack and I both nodded and he said:

"On your mark, get set, go!" He started the timer. They boys started cheering and booing both of us, but the general consensus was cheering for Jack. Five minutes passed by, then ten. I, of course forgot to mention to Jack and the other boys that I had to do these everyday for 20 minutes for 12 years. Granted I hadn't skated in a while, but that didn't mean I didn't continue on with my routine. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Jack starting to wobble. I decided to see how well he could hold up if I taunted him.

"So, Jack, how you holding up? Getting tired yet?" I asked sweetly.

"Wonderful, cupcake. How's it going over there in Fort Iceland." He asked just as tartly.

"Just wonderful. I'm bored. When I do this at home I at least am able to watch the television."

"Oh, so you have done this before?" He asked sarcastically, but I knew he was probing me to see how much of a chance he had against me.

"Yep," I said setting him up for the kill, "…20 minutes, everyday, for 12 years."

"Did your daddy ever realize he was raising a candidate for the psychiatric ward?" he asked tauntingly.

"Don't bring my dad into this." I said bluntly, trying not to let the emotions inside escape.

"Oh, sore spot, huh?" he taunted.

"Not as sore as your crotch will be if you don't drop it now!" I could feel my anger and hatred towards Jack rage in my veins.

"Oh, isn't that a little harsh? Well, I would be angry too if my dad cheated on my mom." He and I both knew he was getting to me.

"My FATHER DID NOT CHEAT on my MOTHER! If you're just trying to get a rise out of me, PICK A DIFFERENT SUBJECT!"

"No, no, this is doing fine. So what's your father done that's made this such a sore subject?" he taunted. I gave up; I needed to get out of this room so I could go cry my eyes out. But, I didn't want to loose, so I did the next best thing: I picked up all 45 lbs. of the discs, and threw them in his lap. As he crumbled, I got up brushed myself off. I turned to look at Jack. He was sitting on the floor looking up at me with fury and satisfaction in his eyes.

"He died." My voice cracked as I said it and I ran out of the room with tears streaming down my face. I ran to the closest door which turned out to be the girls' bathroom. I turned around and locked the door. As I left the room, I heard Craig calling behind me. I didn't stop and just ran into the bathroom. He was at the door, asking me to come out, but I just ignored him and continued crying.

(Third Person POV-Lobby)

The boys sat in silence for a minute while Craig chased Anya down the hall. Jack removed the weights and stood up, looking confused and guilty. Rizzo got up and started heading after Anya and Craig.

"Nice going O.C." Jimmy Craig said.

"Hey, I'm sorry, how the hell was I supposed to know her dad died?" Jack retaliated

"You didn't need to know. She asked you not to bring it up." Jimmy said, angrily. "Jack, you have both your parents, you have no clue as to how it feels to loose one of them. And what's worse, you said her dad cheated on her mom. That can really piss a girl off. So, here's a suggestion, don't open your big mouth ever again!" Jimmy followed after Rizzo and so did a few of the guys. So many of the guys left that it was just O.C., Silky, and Phil. Jack sat down on the couch and sighed.

"Great! Now my friends and Herb's niece are mad at me. I didn't mean to hurt her feelings; I just wanted to throw her off so I could win."

"Relax, O.C. She'll forgive you just go and apologize." Silk offered.

"Yeah, right. That'll be the day that pigs fly. She'd probably pick the electric chair over talking to me." Jack said sarcastically.

"You were just being your idiot self. Tell her that and she'll forgive you easily." Verchota joked.

"Thanks, Philly, but I don't think it will work too well." Jack laughed at his comment.

"Let Rizzo talk to her. He'll defend you, but let her cool off for a while." Silk said.

"Yeah, thanks guys. I'll apologize when the guys come back." Jack thanked them.

(First Person POV-Bathroom)

I was leaning up against the door crying silently. I wasn't as upset as I was angry at Jack for making me vulnerable and saying my father cheated on mom. I knew he never did, it just got me so angry when Jack suggested it. I heard a quiet knock at the door.

"Anya, its Craig. I'm going to get your uncle. He's in meetings, so it might take me a few minutes. If you need anything Rizzo and Jimmy are here and willing to talk to you if you want." Craig said sympathetically. I heard a pair of footsteps walk away and someone come closer to the door.

"Hey, Anya, you in there still?" I heard Rizzo's muffled voice through the door.

"Yeah." I said blankly. I felt bad for being mean to Rizzo; he was such a nice guy. So wasn't Jim.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Rizzo asked tentatively.

"Fine." I replied. I gave up. I couldn't sit in here forever and I felt that I could trust Rizzo and Jimmy. If they cared that much to follow me, I could be excepting and thankful. I wiped my eyes and unlocked the door. I opened the door, hiding behind it. Jimmy and Rizzo came in and I closed the door. Rizzo was the first to speak.

"I am so sorry that Jack was like that. He isn't like that all the time. Sure, he's competitive but he would never intentionally cause you pain. He didn't know…we didn't know."

"It's okay. It just brought back painful memories. I kind of figured he was competitive from practice. I wasn't mad at him for bringing up my dad as much as for what he said about him." I explained.

"He had no right to say what he did about your dad. He was just trying to taunt you, but that still doesn't give him the right to say that." Jimmy added.

"It just angered me that he would just say that to someone. Plus, I was still a little annoyed from watching him and Rob fight at practice."

"I know that this is no excuse for what he said and did, but I think O.C. was just used to us guys and thought he could pass a crude comment without it being noticed." Rizzo defended his friend. I understood that he wanted to show me that he thought the Jack was wrong to do what he did, but he didn't want to betray his best friend.

"I feel much better now. I just have these moments when I really wish my dad was still here."

"I know how you feel, Anya. My mom died recently and it's been really hard on the family. If you ever want to talk about it or just want to hang out, my door's always open." Jimmy told me.

"That goes for me too." Rizzo piped up. I smiled and gave them each a small hug as a thank you. I heard a gentle knock at the door and heard my uncle's voice.

"Anya, are you alright?" he actually sounded concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Jimmy, Rizzo, and I were just talking. We'll be right out." I said thank you to both boys and I exited the bathroom with my head held high and a small smile on my face. I decided that I was going to be straightforward with Jack about why I was angry with him and hopefully he would apologize. Maybe we could even be friends.

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**I'll update again really soon. Next chapter just needs to be reviewed. Thanks!**


	6. I'm Sorry

**Here's Ch.6!**

**I probably won't update unless I get more reviews. Plenty of hits. Just not enough reviews.**

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Ch. 6- 'I'm sorry'

(Third Person POV-Lobby)

A few minutes later, all the boys except for Jim and Rizzo and those who stayed in the lobby, came back. They resumed their original seats, all feeling bad about what happened.

"Where are Jim and Rizzo?" Phil asked.

"Anya decided to talk to them." Ramsey answered. It remained quiet for a few minutes until Anya, herself, came strolling down the hall, followed by Rizzo, Jim, Craig, and Herb. She was no longer crying as like when she left, but there were wet stains on her cheeks as evidence. She walked straight up to Jack and asked kindly, "Jack, can I talk to you for a moment?" He nodded and slowly got up, questioning Rizzo with his eyes. Rizzo just shrugged, not knowing what exactly she would do. After their talk in the bathroom, Anya had a different aura surrounding her. She wasn't sad and depressed, nor angry or aggressive, but calm and open. For all he knew, she could be acting and kill Jack as soon as he turned the corner (even though that was very unlikely). Jack followed Anya as she turned down the corridor and stopped. She turned to face him and he took a small step back.

"I'm not going to hurt you." She said noticing his stance and the step he had taken.

"I know…Look, I'm sorry if I upset you. I really didn't mean for you to get hurt. I had no clue about your father. I am truly and deeply sorry for my big mouth and competitive drive. All three of us apologize." He said the last part as an attempt at a joke to lighten the mood. She seemed to pick up on it and laughed gently. She stared at his eyes for a moment, seeing that he spoke the truth with each word he uttered.

"I accept all three apologies, but I want to explain why I lost it. You know now that my dad is dead. Well, can you keep a secret?" he nodded, "Good. Please don't tell anyone this, but when I was sixteen I was really good at figure skating and I was trying out for the '74 Olympic team. I was in my qualifying round when my dad had a lot of work. But, being the great dad he was, he got away and drove out to see me. He didn't make it though. He was killed by a drunk driver. Long story short, I blame skating for why he's gone and I haven't skated since the day he died. Don't try to get me in skates because I will not do it, just as a future reference. The main reason I got upset was that you suggested that my dad cheated on my mother, which he **never ever** did."

"Yeah, about that, I'm really sorry. I was just trying to win because if I didn't do anything, I was going to have my ass handed to me by a girl who just got here." Jack said, very sorry for what he did.

"I understand that your pride was at stake, but I heavily suggest you don't try that line again unless it is a known fact and the person is comfortable with it."

"I know. I really am sorry. Is there any possibility of us still becoming friends?" he asked hopefully.

"Uh...friends…no, but I'll accept competitive friends with open arms. I have a bit of a competitive drive in me, too," She joked.

"Sure, I don't think I could resist beating you even if I tried." Jack taunted.

"Good, because I was about to say the same thing." Jack laughed at her response and they walked back to the team. Seeing them walking out laughing and not ripping each other's heads off greatly surprised the whole team, including Herb. Knowing Anya's nature from experience, he knew she was relentless and stubborn, just like Jack. She, however, could keep her emotions in check fairly well. Only really big issues upset her. Thankfully, he hadn't been the target and was able to witness her wrath when Halden made the mistake of reading her diary. Jack and Anya laughing was not what he expected. They finally noticed that the whole team was staring at them when Bah piped up.

"So we don't have to call and upset Mrs. O'Callahan and prepare funeral arrangements?" he asked seriously.

"No, I had no intention of killing him, just…putting him in his place." Anya said and looked over at Jack. They continued with their previous laughter and after a moment, the team joined in too. Finally, Herb broke up the laughing fits.

"Well, I finished my meetings, so why don't we head home Anya?"

"Sure, Uncle Herb, let me just get my stuff." Anya agreed and took off to his office in search of her bags. Once she was gone, Herb turned to the team.

"Now boys, you all know now that Anya's dad is dead. It was a few years ago, but it can still bother her, as you witnessed already. I suggest that you don't bring it up again unless she wants to, also, you don't want to get on her bad side. It would be like having 3women on your case." With this the boys' faces contorted to an unpleasant grimace. "I also want you all to know that she is off limits. I will not have any of you involved with part of my staff, especially her. Now, go to your dorms and get a good night's rest. You all have off-ice training tomorrow morning at 7:00 sharp. Goodnight." With that, Herb turned and followed his niece into the office. They each grabbed a bag and walked to Herb's car.

(First Person POV-Anya)

After Jack and I apologized (mostly Jack) to each other, Uncle Herb and I headed to his house. When I went to turn the door-knob, the door opened suddenly and behind it were a girl with curly blonde hair and a boy with light brown hair, both sporting bluish eyes.

"Anya!" the girl yelled, "Mom, Anya's here!"

"Coming, Kelly." I heard my aunt's voice from the kitchen. A few seconds later, Aunt Patty came down the hall, took one look at me, and gave me a huge hug.

"It's good to see you too, Aunt Patty, but I can't breathe." I squeaked out. Who knew that such a small woman could be so powerful? Then again, I'm a peanut anyways. She reluctantly let go and smiled widely at me.

"Sweetie, it's so good to see you again! Seven years is way, way too long!"

"I know Auntie. I've missed you so much." I turned around to face my cousins. "Oh my, Danny is that you? You've grown up so much!" My little cousin that was once only up to my hips was now at my shoulders, and he was only 12! Now I really felt like a midget. "And Kelly, too! You guys are so big! I remember the last time I was here, you," I said pointing to Danny, "were only this tall, and you, Kelly, you had just gotten used to _running_ around the house!" I was shocked to see how much difference 7 years could make in someone.

"Yeah, Anya, you really haven't changed much." Danny said, secretly joking about my height.

"Ha, ha, ha. Very funny. Yes, go ahead, make fun of my height. Just remember, I have a little wallet picture of my cute little cousin Danny sitting with a baby doll, doing its hair." I got him. I might not have been around the last few years, but my aunt's letters and phone calls kept me informed about my little cousins. Especially how Danny now 'hated' the doll he begged us to get him for Christmas seven years ago.

"Oh, well…fine, you're still taller than me. Just remember, I'm only 12," he laughed and then carried one of my bags up stairs.

"Anya, why don't you follow me upstairs and you get settled while I finish up with dinner." Aunt Patty suggested.

"Sure, I could really use a little freshening up," I said, remembering my crying session in the rink's bathroom. After we got upstairs, my aunt turned left down the hall and stopped at a very familiar door.

"You're staying in the same room as your last visit, alright?" I nodded my acknowledgement, "The bathroom is in there, and my room is just down the hall if you need anything."

"Thanks, Aunt Patty. I really appreciate you letting me stay here."

"Don't worry about it Anya. I wouldn't have it any other way. We've all missed you so much. It's nice to have you here. Now we just need to get your mom and brother out here, too." Aunt Patty walked away and I entered my new bedroom. I grabbed my suitcase and threw it up on my bed. I went over to the dresser and opened some drawers. I began to transfer the clothes and accessories from bag to drawer when I noticed that the room looked different than I remembered. The walls that were originally a mint green were now a muted crimson. There was a wrought iron bed frame with intricate designs and small red roses entwined on a garland around each of the bars. The comforter was a white quilt with red silk trim and ivy-connected roses embroidered into it. The small end table next to the bed was made of iron and had an iron lamp with an olive green shade. The dresser was a white-washed wood that had been sanded down to make it appear older. To finish the little room, there was a small red couch and TV set in the corner. I took in each detail of the room, getting to know my new home. It was fairly similar as my room back in Reykjavik, except that it was all blue. I finished unpacking when Aunt Patty called us all for dinner. I quickly went to wash my face and hands before arriving at the dinner table. I took my seat and waited for someone else to eat something first. I noticed that Uncle Herb wasn't there. I turned to Aunt Patty with the question on my tongue. She must have read my expression (or thoughts, if that was possible) and announced that Uncle Herb would not be dining with us. We sat in silence while eating until Aunt Patty broke the silence.

"So Anya how is Hal?" she asked in a polite way.

"Oh, he's great. He just got a girlfriend. Turns out it's the girl who lived across the street from us all our lives." I said, laughing lightly.

"Does he still play hockey?" Danny asked.

"Of course he does. I don't think he could ever stop playing hockey. If hockey was school, he would have perfect attendance and grades." I joked. We continued our meal. I felt a little awkward again so I decided to make small talk.

"Aunt Patty, I love what you did with the room. It's so homey and comfortable." I complimented.

"Thank you, someone else thinks so! I designed it myself and your uncle just said it was too girly. Personally, I think it is very welcoming and relaxing. Then again, that man thinks watching hockey filmstrips is soothing." She shook her head and continued eating. When we were all done eating, I got up and started collecting the dishes.

"No, no, Anya. The kids and I can do the dishes. You must have had a long day. Go get some rest. You have an early practice tomorrow."

"Fine, Aunt Patty, but I need to do some chores around here, and I'm dead serious. I'll do laundry or anything you want me to. Tomorrow, I'll do all the dishes."

"Okay sweetheart, but right now you need your rest. Go to bed."

"Thank you again for dinner. I'll see you all tomorrow. Good night." I trudged up the stairs, my legs moving on their own accord. I quickly changed into my most cool pajamas and curled into bed. Tonight, there was no need for the quilt. It was so hot, and me being from Iceland didn't help too much. I looked out the window and noticed it was still somewhat light out. I closed the blinds but left the window open, welcoming the cool breeze into the room. I set my alarm for 5:30 A.M. and said good night to the pictures of my friends and family on my side table. I drifted off to sleep with their faces filling my dreams.


	7. She's Supergirl

**Okay, I want to thank all my reviewers, but I've got over 700 hits and only 15 reviews, so let's pump it up peoples please!**

**I'm gonna need some motivation for later chapters.**

**R&R**

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Ch 7. "She's Like Wonder Woman!"

I woke up to the sound of my alarm ringing in my ear. After using an alarm clock for almost all of my life, I still couldn't get used to it. I got out of bed and stretched. I then began my early morning routine. I did butterfly stretches, long-sit stretches, arm rotations, calf stretches, and figure-4 stretches to warm up. I didn't want to turn on the small radio since it was still early in the morning, so I hummed to myself as I began my sit-ups. Once I had done about 30, I did my 50 crunches. Contrary to popular belief, crunches and sit-ups are completely different exercises. By this time, I had begun humming the second verse of an American song: "Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)". I think it was by Billy Joel, but I really didn't care. Next were my push ups, 25 of them, a water break, then 25 more. Finally it was time for the wall sits. I found about five books all fairly heavy. I was able to read my textbooks and plan out the boys' off-ice training schedules while working out, myself! After about thirty minutes of that, I got up slowly and stretched out my muscles. I grabbed my yellow and black exercise tank, some black shorts, and underwear. I snuck out into the hall and into the bathroom. I had put my toiletries in the bathroom the night before. I took out some my soap, shampoo, razor and shaving cream, and conditioner. After a cool shower and partially drying my hair, I was ready for the day. I grabbed some socks and sneakers and put my hair up in a pony-tail. Before I left the room, I grabbed my notebook, pen, _Glossary of Exercises and Routines for Athletes_ (my Christmas present from Kiersten), and my 'BOSTON' sweatshirt and stuffed them into a bag. I entered the kitchen only to find Aunt Patty cooking something on the stove and Uncle Herb, hunched over his playbook, muttering and taking the occasional sip of coffee. I sat across from him and opened my glossary and tried to brainstorm exercises that could improve the boys' playing. I got so into my thoughts that I didn't notice my aunt put a plate in front of me. Finally, a bright flash and her laughing broke me from my reverie, and apparently, my uncle from his, too. I looked up at my aunt who was holding a camera and trying desperately to stifle her laughter.

"Patti, what's so funny?" Herb asked, confused.

"It…it's just that…you and Anya…you and Anya l-looked so s-s-similar. You didn't even…even notice the f-f-food!"

"I'm sorry, Aunt Patty, I just got so wrapped up in my planning that I didn't realize you had put out breakfast." I ventured, cautiously, afraid I had done something wrong.

"No, no, no, sweetie. You did nothing wrong! It's just that you and Herb were mimicking each other without knowing it!"

"Oh, well, I guess that is kind of funny." I said laughing too.

"Anya, eat up, we have to get to the rink early so we can get you what you'll need. You also have to meet Doc and Walter today?"

"Yes, Uncle Herb." I looked down to my plate and saw a bacon and egg smiley face starring up at me. I burst out laughing. Uncle Herb and Aunt Patty were just starring at me.

"Sorry…" I dove into the eggs, ravenous from my early work-out. Fifteen minutes later, Uncle Herb and I were in his car, heading to the rink.

"So, how was your first night here?" asked Herb.

"Oh, fine. The bed is really comfortable. The room kind reminds me of my room back home. It's comforting."

"Good. Listen, Anya, if any of the boys give you a hard time or bug you, just come to me or Craig, okay?"

"Of course, Uncle Herb, but after my showdown with Jack yesterday, I don't think too many of them will _want_ to pick a fight with me."

"Yeah, I gave them a heads up about your hidden temper. They didn't look too interested in seeing it."

"Good, because I really don't feel like whipping it out. Being angry at someone can really drain a person."

"I know, but sometimes it just feels good to let it out on someone."

"So that's why you're always tough on the boys, isn't it?" I said jokingly.

"Anya…You know how good the Soviets are. Not many people believe that we can beat them, and honestly, at this point there is no way in hell we can beat them. Now, what I want you to understand is that I have to push these boys if they're going to get up to Soviet-level of play by the Games. Harder than either you or any of these boys have seen before. I just want you to know that at times I'll seem flat out cruel, but they need to be pushed…hard."

"I understand, Uncle Herb. I've been trying to figure out a routine, but I think that today I'll just get to know the guys, get basic measurements, you know, height, weight, age and I'll try and personalize each player's exercises to strengthen the muscles that need it." I understood that if my uncle and the boys wanted to win gold, they were going to have to build up their endurance, agility, reflexes, and strength.

"It's good to have you onboard Anya. We need someone like you."

"Thanks, Uncle Herb. That was really sweet." I leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. I saw the rink get closer as we pulled up the drive. We got out the car and I grabbed my bag. We walked to his office and I sat down, determined to finish up my plans for the day's session. I was almost finished when my uncle and the short older man with a bow-tie came in.

"Anya, I'd like you to meet the team doctor, Dr. George Nagobads." I got up and walked over to him.

"It's very nice to meet you, Dr. Nagobads." I shook his hand, "I'm Anya Marek. I'm here to intern as a personal trainer and nutritionist."

"Yes, yes, Herb's niece from Iceland. It is an honor to meet you, Anya. I've heard all about your internship. Anytime you have any questions, feel free to ask."

"Thank you. I will definitely take you up on that offer sometime, Doctor Na…"

"Just call me Doc. That's what everyone calls me. Now, if you'll both excuse me, I need to prepare for the day."

"Go right ahead, Doc. I'll see you later." Herb called after the small man.

"He's nice. Is he from the U.S.? He has a very interesting accent." I asked my uncle.

"Not originally. He emigrated here from Latvia with his wife Velta. Hey, the boys are going to be here soon. Why don't you stand next to the locker room door and just tell them to do whatever you will be doing. I've had the weight room cleared out so you can start."

"Thanks, Uncle Herb." I said as I headed to the door with my book-bag over my shoulder. That was when I realized I had no clue where I was going.

"Um, where exactly is the locker room? Oh, and the weight room?" I asked stupidly.

"Just go down the hall, towards the rink, and there will be a big door with a sign over it. You're looking for the 'Home team' locker room on the left. The weight room connects to the locker room."

"Okay, thanks." And so I began my adventure to find the locker room. On my way, I ran into Craig (literally) and said hello. I kept going until I finally found it. I heard voices inside so I knocked on the door.

"Is anyone in there?"

"No." a muffled voice called out.

"If there was no one in there then I wouldn't have heard you answer 'no'. Now, who is it?" I answered in a smart-ass way.

"If you don't know, then you'll have to guess," said a second voice.

"Okay," I pulled out the roster I had gotten from my uncle the previous day, "Okay are you Auge?"

"No."

"Baker?"

"No."

"Broten?"

"No."

"Christian?"

"No."

"Christoff?"

"No. You're really bad at this."

"Craig?"

"Jimmy's probably still sleeping."

"Cox?"

"Damn it! You caught me! Two people left."

"Delich?"

"Nope."

"Rizzo?"

"Two down, one to go."

"Harrington?"

"No."

"Horsch?"

"I don't believe he is here at the moment. Do try again later."

"Hughes?"

"Still snoring."

"Janazak?"

"No."

"Johnson?"

"No."

"McClanahan?"

"Not here."

"Morrow?"

"No."

"O'Callahan?"

"I think he's hung over."

"Oh, um…alright, Pavelich?"

"No."

"Ramsey?"

"No."

"Ross?"

"NO!"

"Schneider?"

"GOD, WOMAN! GET THIS RIGHT!"

"Silky?"

"Bing, bing, bing, we have a winner!"

"Whatever, guys. Don't get changed into uniform yet. If you have any workout clothes wear those and go into the weight room. There's supposedly a door connecting them. When you go in there, DON'T MESS WITH THE EQUIPMENT!"

"Yes, drill sergeant!" I stood outside the locker room after our exciting rendition of twenty questions. After the boys were what I could assume was dressed and in the weight room, I headed in and closed the door. I walked to the front of the room, sporting my Boston sweatshirt, seeing as how it was a little cold inside the rooms near the ice.

"Good morning, everyone! When I call off your name just raise your hand: Auge, Baker, Broten, Christian, Christoff, Cox, Craig, Delich, Eruzione, Harrington, Horsch, Hughes, Janazak, Johnson, McClanahan, Morrow, O'Callahan…O'Callahan, where's Jack?"

"Right here!" I turned to see Jack walk through the door in his training gear. "What, are you all ganging up against me?" he commented humorously.

"You better have a good reason for being 10 minutes late, O'Callahan." I said threateningly.

"I do, I was hung over."

"That is a terrible reason to give a personal trainer or nutritionist. Whatever…Pavelich, Ramsey, Schneider, Silk, Strobel, Suter, Verchota, Wells. Good. Today, we're going to get height and weight measurements. I'll divide you into groups and you will be weighed, measured, and you will give me a description of your diet. After all that is done, we will do a brief workout session and you will go to practice. In addition, from now on, I would like you to keep a food journal of what you're eating and when. Please, please, please don't forget to put in the serving size. Without that, the journal is essentially useless." The boys all nodded as a consensus, but looking slightly disappointed about their new homework assignment. "Okay, there' 27 of us, so let's break into groups of 3." The boys got into groups with guys from their area (Boston, Minnesota, etc.). "No, no, no. I'm sorry boys but you need to get to know each other. Okay, Johnson, I want you with Rizzo and Schneider. Ramsey with Silk and Pavelich. Cox, Craig, Janazak, you three work together. Hughes, Auge, Delich. Baker, Morrow, and Wells. Horsch, Ross, Suter. Verchota, Christian, and Harrington. Broten, Christoff, Strobel. O'Callahan, McClahahan…"

"You sure about that, Anya?" Bah asked joking, "Who's going to be referee?"

"I know they're not going to win the best buddies award anytime soon. That's why I'm going to be the third person." I said simply. "Alright boys, you're going to weigh and measure each other. There are about 5 measuring scales and 3 scales. Rotate groups and the two who are not on the equipment will fill out these papers for me. Okay, get going." I pulled Jack and Rob over to a scale. "Hop up, Jack." He got on the scale and I told him 190 lbs.

"O'Callahan, did you gain 30 pounds overnight or something? Because yesterday, you only weighed 160!"

"I just let you off easy."

"I'm sure you were. Alright, McClanahan, get on."

"You can call me Mac."

"Okay Mac," I fiddled with the blocks, "You weigh 180."

"Okay." I noticed that there was barely anyone talking besides us three.

"Hey, what happened to the chatty little hockey players I couldn't get to shut up this morning? You guys are allowed to talk." I stepped up onto the scale and adjusted the balance.

"What are you doing?" Jack asked.

"I'm going to be working out with you guys; I should have a starting point too." Jack looked surprised at my response. We all rotated and I had everyone's info in my hands 15 minutes later. "Okay, now we're going to do a brief workout to get you guys warmed up for practice. We're going to stretch, and then do push-ups, sit-ups, crunches, and a 5 minute wall sit. Then, we'll cool down with more stretching. Any questions?"

Schneider stuck up his hand and pretended to be an elementary school boy, "So, are you a Boston fan, Ms. Marek?"

"What? I..." I remembered what I was wearing and continued, "It was really cold in the airport in Boston, so I got this to keep me warm. I'm planning on giving it to my little brother."

"You have a brother?" someone asked.

"Yeah, he's sixteen. His name is Halden."

"You don't happen to have any sisters, do you?" Verchota asked hopefully.

"No, but I live with my best friends, who are like sisters to me."

"What are their names?" Rizzo asked.

"There's Halle and Kiersten, I live in a flat with them, and my other friends, Savea and Erika, live down the street."

"Do you have pictures?"

"Not with me now. I'll show them to you later. Right now, we need to workout." I pulled my sweatshirt over my head and the room went silent.

"Come on, guys, let's go…on the ground stretching." Some of them went down, but Jack, Verchota, Mac, and Janazak remained standing. "Boys, is there something wrong?" They shook their heads and finally sat down and began stretching. I was counting to myself while the boys were talking amongst themselves. I looked up when I heard Verchota say, "There's absolutely nothing wrong if she wears that everyday." He was talking to Jack, but when I looked at him quickly, I saw that Jack wasn't listening, he was staring at me! When I caught him, he put his head down immediately and continued stretching. I was a little unnerved about this. I found that many guys stared at me when I was working out, but Jack's gaze was…intense. Frightening, even, as to how focused he was on me. Once everyone had finished stretching, I told them to do 20 sit-ups and then 15 crunches. Next we did 20 pushups. Finally when we came to wall-sits, we all sat next to each other so we could talk. The boys started babbling until halfway through, when they started complaining and whining to me.

"Suck it up boys, only 2 minutes left." I tried to console them.

"Anya…what are you doing tonight?" asked Rizzo.

"I don't know, I think I'm just going to go home with Uncle Herb, why?"

"Some of us were wondering if you wanted to come to the bar with us."

"I don't know; I don't have a ride home."

"Ramsey or I could give you a lift home. We know where Herb's house is." said Mac.

"I'll have to check with Uncle Herb, but if I get the okay, I'm defiantly coming. I need to get to know you guys better. It will also give me the chance to monitor your alcohol intake." I said haughtily.

"Oh, come on!" they all said in unison. I just laughed at them.

"Well, since you aren't on your diets officially, I suppose I could let it slide this time." A chorus of cheers rang up as I said this. I just smiled and shook my head.

"Hey, Anya, there any chance you'll bring pictures of your friends by?" asked Mac.

"Sure, and I'll be sure to tell you all about them. They're…very interesting, to say the least." The timer went off and they boys moved to stretch out. When they were all finished, I told them I would ask Herb if I could go and wished them luck during practice. I stopped Jack and Mac before they left to go to the locker room.

"Listen you two, I hope you have reconciled, because the rest of the team is merging and you guys are halting their actions," I said seriously.

"Yeah, we've made up. We're not best friends or anything like that…but it's behind us now," Jack said and Mac nodded in approval. I smiled and shooed them out the door. I cleaned up until I heard the commotion (a.k.a. the boys) leave the locker room. I took all of my stuff and went to sit in the bleachers. When I got in the arena, I pulled on my sweatshirt and took a seat. While the boys practiced, I worked on their diet and exercise plans. The boys were starting to pick up some of the plays my uncle was trying to introduce to them. It was still a little messy, but it was coming along. I finished about an hour before lunch break, so I decided to run down to Uncle Herb and ask if I should go get the food. He told me that I could get whatever I thought was best for the guys and I briefly reviewed the food allergies before going to the lunches. I only had to worry about Broten (he was allergic to peanuts). I ordered about 10 sandwiches with chicken, 10 with turkey, and 10 with tuna fish. Uncle Herb said that someone was a vegetarian, so I got them a salad with croutons and dressing. As I finished setting up the lunch table, the boys came waltzing in all laughing. Bah turned around and yelled, "FOOD!" All of the boys (who had been on their way to the snack bar) jogged up to the table.

"Okay boys, there's tuna, chicken, and for whoever the vegetarian is I got a salad with croutons. So, eat up!" As the boys dove for the food, Silk went for a chicken sandwich, then turned to me and asked:

"Did you get all of this?"

"Yeah, I also got your exercise and eating guidelines done. I'll pass those out once you're all sitting."

"You finished all of that!" he said surprised. "You must be like superwoman or something…" he turned to go sit with the rest of the team. I sighed and went to give my uncle, Coach Patrick, and Doc their lunches.

"So Anya, how many days a week are you planning on having the boys train with you?" Herb asked.

"At least 4 days. I finished their eating guidelines and exercise routines and I'll pass them out in a few minutes." The boys were going to need all the training they could get if I knew my Uncle. He had been on the 1960 Olympic Team, but he got cut a week before the games. Ever since, he's been trying to figure out a way to beat the Soviets and redeem himself from '60. He would push these boys harder than they ever had been. He even admitted it to me! Uncle Herb nodded his approval.

"Anya, 4 days is good. How about Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday?" I nodded in agreement. "Good, practices on the weekend are two hours shorter than usual. Just pick the time and you've got it as long as it's before practice starts."

"Yes, Uncle Herb. I think I'll start practices at 7:00 and they'll last about an hour and a half." He looked at me, nodded slightly, and then turned back to his lunch. I got this as a message that my presence was no longer needed there. I walked over to my bag and took out the schedules. I looked at whose was on top. 'SHNEIDER, BUZZ' it said. I walked over to Buzz's table and held it out. At first, he didn't notice me, until Phil alerted him of my presence.

"Oh, hey Anya! We heard someone say that you put this all together. Thanks, by the way. So, what's up?"

"I have all of your eating recommendations and exercise routines done. Here is yours."

"Wow, thanks." He looked a little taken back. "I thought you just got the info this morning. How did you put these all together so quickly?"

"Yeah, you were able to get lunch _and_ these things done already?" Phil added.

"Yeah," I felt embarrassed, "I have a tendency to do things like that. I like to multi-task and get things done quickly. It's just this habit." I gave Phil his packet, then Bah. He too asked about how I got everything done so quickly.

"She's like wonder woman!" Bah told Silky.

"I know; I said almost the same thing!" Silky replied. Bah stood up and called out to the rest of the team:

"Hey listen up! You all know that Anya put the lunch thing together, but she also has made up our _personalized _eating and exercise packets." A chorus of 'wow's, 'thanks', and 'Jesus' were heard around the room. "I know, I know. That is why Silky and I have come up with Anya's nickname: Supergirl. I just wanted to announce this. Now, Anya, do you accept your new nickname?"

"I guess. It's very similar to the name my friends call me… Yes, I accept the new nickname." I said giggling.

"Well, I would like to introduce you all to our newest group member…" Bah grabbed my arm and held it up high, "Supergirl!" all the boys clapped and cheered. I couldn't contain my laughter any more. Mac came over to where I was standing with Bah holding my arm.

"Can I borrow our new bestest friend for, like, a second." Mac said in the most girly voice he could muster. Bah released my arm and Mac wrapped his arm around my shoulder.

"So," he began, "Are you coming with us tonight?" I shrugged. I completely forgot about asking Uncle Herb if I could go out with the boys.

"I haven't asked him yet, but I will during practice."

"Okay, if you can't, you could always come another time."

"Well, thanks, but I think you need to get back to your lunch, you only have 5 minutes left in your break."

"You're right…only 15 minutes for lunch. He's never been this bad at the U. God, are you sure your uncle wasn't a slave driver in a past life?" I looked at him, trying to understand it. "Don't tell Coach I said that, okay?"

"I wasn't planning on it." I shrugged gently and walked over to my bag. I had bought a cheeseburger for myself. They always made me feel at home, even if I wasn't. I went through a phase after my first trip to the U.S. where I discovered the 'burger'. For almost a year, the only food I would eat at dinner was a cheeseburger. My mother always said she would stop buying them, but my dad always convinced her to get them for me; they remind me of him. I know that sounds really stupid, but if I was sick or I was sad, my dad would take me to a small American diner in the center of town and we would eat burgers. My Uncle stood up and gestured for the boys to clean up and head back towards the ice. When the last of the troops had marched off, I went around with some cleaner and a dish towel that I found, and wiped down all the tables. I decided to go call the girls and my mom before I had to get back to work. When I found a payphone, I had to search for spare change! There must be some explanation as to why payphones are so complicated and hard to use. I calmed myself down as I told the operator my mother's last name and location. I was connected instantly and the phone began to ring. When at last the phone was picked up, I could hear my mother's labored breathing.

"You've reached the Marek residence, this is Susan speaking."

"Hi mom! How are you?"

"Ani, is that you? Oh, you made it! Good, good, good! How is everybody? How are you doing? Have you started work yet? Is Patty there? Have you met the team yet? Have you ca…" I cut her of here. When my mother starts babbling and asking too many questions, it's better just to cut her off.

"Mom, one question at a time. Uncle Herb, Aunt Patty, Kelly, and Danny are all fine. I'm at work right now; today was my first day. I'm sorry, but Aunt Patty's not at the arena, so you'll either have to call her, or I'll have her call you. I met the team yesterday, and they're all very nice. _And_ I'm fine. A little homesick, but fine." I decided against telling her about my little fight with Jack. Sometimes she was a little over-protective and would probably demand that she talk to 'this Jack fellow…I'll give him a piece of my mind'.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Have you called the girls yet? They've been calling every few hours since you left."

"Yeah, I'll call them in a few minutes. Did they say anything else?" I could only hope that they weren't mad at me for not calling immediately.

"Well, you know how they are. But I do remember Erika saying that she couldn't wait to hear about the cute hockey players."

"Yeah," I said, embarrassed, "Erika was kind of obsessed with that when I was leaving. I have to send her pictures of the top 5 hottest on the team."

"So, do you have the winner's yet?" I could tell my mom was ready to laugh. I had always been very shy about and around boys as a teenager. In fact, I've only had 2 boyfriends in my whole life.

"Well, there are a few, but I wasn't actually planning on sending pictures."

"You should! We would all like to see the young men from America. Everybody knows each other around here. Fresh blood might be nice," she tainted sweetly.

"Very well. Is Hall there?" I missed my little brother. Most normal people hated their siblings. My brother and I are more like best friends than relatives.

"No, he's out with Valkyrie. That girl is beginning to get on my nerves. She's always over here, or she begs you're brother to go to the mall with her."

"Let me guess; she's very demanding and rich."

"You guessed it. And she is the rudest girl in the world. She spilt orange juice all over the kitchen counter and then had the audacity to point to me and say, 'Pick that up, won't you.' Then she grabbed Hall and walked out the door!"

"I'm sorry about that, mom. I'll talk to Hall about this, but right now, I have to call the girls."

"Alright, I'll talk to you later, Ani."

"I love you mom. Bye."

"I love you, too. Bye."

I sighed. _Maybe I'm more homesick than I thought; this might be a long eight months._


End file.
